January 27, 2009
"I knew that the cello comes nowhere near one’s scrotum.”
'Cello scrotum' is a hoax. So was 'guitar nipple'. Baroness Elaine Murphy, a physician, member of the House of Lords and contributor to the Lords of the Blog blog, fesses up after 34 years. But other instrumental infirmities appear to be real, as catalogued in the recent paper titled A symphony of maladies.
The compatibility of science and religion
Seeing and Believing: The never-ending attempt to reconcile science and religion, and why it is doomed to fail. [Via Pharyngula]
Cross Cultural Marketing Blunders
Cross Cultural Marketing Blunders -- such as Panasonic's motto, "Touch Woody - the internet Pecker" [more inside]
Gasparcolor
Colour on the Thames is a 7 minute film shot in 1935 using Gasparcolor, one of the many early forms of tinting black and white film. Beside Colour on the Thames, which provides a wonderful view of 1930's England, the only film made in Gasparcolor I could find online was Colour Flight by New Zealand artist Len Lye, an abstract cartoon set to instrumental 1930's pop music. The story of Gasparcolor is in itself interesting, for instance touching on Nazis, Hungary between the wars and early color animation.
Runnin' from the Hagar
Templates for Rapid Interactive Prototyping
This used to be really hard with CSS. Fluid 960 Grid System: Up to 16-column grid design that is flexible and fluid. Created by Stephen Bau, based on the 960 Grid System by Nathan Smith. [previously]
Hot Lips
Exactly 101 years ago today, Oran Thadeus Page was born in Dallas. Hot Lips Page was one of the greatest jazz trumpet players to ever play, and a fine singer as well. That is all.
If I was a king, right now I'd get crowned
First D-Nice turned heads with his raps. Then he resurfaced with his photography. Now he's producing the beautifully filmed video series True Hip-Hop Stories. He's already filmed rap legends like Masta Ace, Do It All from Lords of the Underground and Kwame. Yesterday he added great stories from the self appointed Erin Brockovich of Hip-Hop, Monie Love.
**More MANILOW Coming UP**
Muxtape is back up! Kinda. Muxtape is back up with 12 artists currently signed up, and they plan to allow other bands to sign up in the near future. First on the blue here, and its demise noted here and juicy details over here [more inside]
The Wizard of Wood
Portuguese carpenter Carlos Alberto is a wizard with wood.
His modified Vespa Daniela is a thing of beauty, and the Mota is pretty damned cool as well.
Would love to see him panel a Rolls Royce or a Bentley.
WhoRunsGov
WhoRunsGov (beta). A Washington Post project to profile political players. Public participation is planned. [more inside]
Art is everywhere
Mingei is a transcultural word which combines the Japanese words for all people (Min) and art (Gei). The site has a flash interface and features over 5,000 high resolution, zoomable objects. More information on the Mingei Movement.
To That Big Golden Toilet in the Sky
Korea's "Mr. Toilet" passed away. Founder of the World Toilet Association, Sim Jae-Duck promoted sanitation worldwide and built the first giant Toilet-Shaped House in Korea.
The unrivaled queen of the Portuguese fado, Amália Rodrigues
"Upon receiving news of her passing, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres ordered three days of national mourning, declaring her "the Voice of Portugal." [more inside]
Police Squad! In Color
In 1982, the comedy team of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker introduced Police Squad! to network TV viewers. It lasted six episodes before being cancelled. What, you missed it? You weren't even born? Here are episodes two, three, and four. [more inside]
John Updike has died.
RESOLUTE!
It is the central, most eyecatching feature of the modern Oval Office. But for over a year, abandoned by a captain said to be harsh and venereal, it drifted slowly, its huge frame creaking, locked in ice, in the land of endless night. [more inside]
Ady Endre
Works of Hungarian poet Endre Ady in English translation, and excellent readings and musical settings in Hungarian (particularly those by Latinovits). [more inside]
Not a very Christy win
The 2009 No-Pants New York Subway Ride
Footage from the 2009 No-Pants Subway ride in New York City. And, if you need more, footage from the 2008 excursion.
Are you carrying the fire?
Snow day (in DC) flash fun: Closure. is a stark, imaginative, beautiful and a creepy platformer where the only light is the one you carry in your hands...
I Hardly Know Her - an "alternative way to view Flickr photostreams"
I Hardly Know Her - is an "alternative way to view Flickr photostreams. It is designed to facilitate high quality viewing with minimal distractions." By Justin Ouellette, creator of Muxtape.
That calls for a Wilhelm Scream
Ben Burtt... heard the name? Well if you've ever watched a Star Wars film you've heard what he does. [more inside]
Like many posts, this one starts with a Wikipedia link for general background.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyonetrusted users can edit. If the MediaWiki FlaggedRevisions extension is enabled, the general public will see changes to articles only after approval by a trusted editor. Wikipedians conducted a poll on whether Wikipedia should enable the feature for a limited trial. Almost 60 percent of voting editors answered in the affirmative. Wikipedia founder Jimbo Wales's subsequent request to enable the feature anyway has been opposed by some, claiming that the margin of votes does not meet Wikipedia's consensus standard. While it might help avoid embarrassing incidents of vandalism, the proposed trial could lead to a big change in the Wikipedia way.
Better Blue Than Red
Who watches the Watchmen? The New Frontiersman for one. A neat viral site for the upcoming movie. [more inside]
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